Return to 1981 and start from breaking off the engagement

Chapter 5 Borrowing a Bicycle
It was almost noon when he got home. Yao Weijun put the peanuts into the west side room where he usually slept, and then came out to help his grandma make lunch.

During lunch, the whole family came back from the field and asked about going to the woman's house to break off the engagement.

Yao Weijun briefly explained and then immersed himself in eating.

"Have another rest for the afternoon, and then go to work in the fields tomorrow!" Before his father took his family out in the afternoon, he shouted angrily to the west side room.

Yao Weijun responded vaguely in the room, but didn't really take it to heart.

After the whole family went out, he came to the yard carrying half a bag of peanuts.

Boil a large pot of water and put some spiced peanut condiments in it, including peppercorns, aniseed, bay leaves, cinnamon and fennel seeds.

Then I poured in all thirty kilograms of shelled peanuts.

After the water is boiled, soaked for a while, then taken out and spread out in the yard to dry.

"The sun is strong enough today. It will only take a while to dry it. There will be enough time to fry it before the work stops in the fields."

Yao Weijun estimated the time and looked at the environment in the courtyard.

Lao Yao's family has four adobe houses, plus east and west side rooms, with a total of eleven people living there.

Grandma lived in the west room of the main house, and my parents lived in the east room. The outhouse in the middle was also called the living room, where we usually entertained visitors or held family meetings.

There is a room with a separate door to the east of the main house. It used to be the room of the eldest brother and his wife, but the eldest brother died in a man-made accident a few years ago. Now the second brother and sister-in-law live in it with their two nephews.

The east side room is connected to the east courtyard wall. There are two rooms. One is a dining shed for cooking, and the other room houses the sister-in-law and nine-year-old niece.

There are also two rooms in the west wing. Yao Weijun and his fourth brother Yao Weitao, who is about to get married, live in one room. The other room is filled with sundries and a few chickens.

Yao Weijun also has a third sister who got married a few years ago. She occasionally comes back to stay for one night, sharing a room with her grandma.

There were eleven people living in the small courtyard, which was not unusual at all in this era.

Especially in Jianchang Village, where Yao Weijun is located, due to soil quality, alkali flowers bloom in the ground, which seriously affects the crop harvest, and every household is living a very difficult life.

As long as someone in the family is not getting married and they really can’t live in the house, they generally won’t be willing to spend money to hire someone to build a house.

Fortunately, the production team has already announced the contracting of responsible fields, and it will be implemented after the autumn harvest this year.

By then people's enthusiasm for production will be improved, and I believe life will get better and better.

Yao Weijun took advantage of the time when the peanuts were drying to clean the large iron pot at home, put all the remaining seasonings into the pot, and added some coarse salt.

After all the preparations were done, I went back to the room and rested for a while, then put away the nearly dried peanuts and poured them into the pot again.

Then a fire was started in the stove, more firewood was added, and the frying began.

In his previous life, he wandered around, had numerous interactions with street vendors, and did many small businesses. He was no stranger to frying peanuts and melon seeds.

Not long after, the aroma began to waft out of the dining room.

The peanuts, which were still a little moist at first, were gradually dried in the iron pot and the smell of various condiments was attached to them.

Yao Weijun wiped the sweat from his forehead, peeled the peanuts and put them in his mouth to taste.

Although it was still a little hot and not crispy at all, the taste was very authentic. Based on his experience, the salty five-spice shelled peanuts were successfully fried.

When he went to the yard to cool down again, he found his grandma's clean nylon bag, packed the fried five-spice peanuts, and carried it into his house.

Then I cleaned the dining room and put away all the condiments so that they can be used next time.

When the whole family had dinner in the evening, Yao Weijun didn't take out the spiced peanuts for everyone to snack on.

It's not that he feels sorry for those peanuts, it's mainly that it's too troublesome to explain. The key is that his family may not appreciate it, but will criticize him in turn.If you have that time, you might as well take a rest.

The next day, the whole family persuaded Yao Weijun to work in the fields to earn work points, but Yao Weijun refused and still had a headache, so he stayed at home alone.

"What are you talking about? You're too lazy. Our family, Li Wen, even carries a basket outside to mow the grass for the team after school. He is a young man who just idles around and plays every day. His life at home is still... Can’t get over it!”

Outside the courtyard wall, the second sister-in-law's complaining voice sounded as she drifted away.

Yao Weijun is not too worried about this. He has already thought about it. When the autumn harvest is over and the land is divided in the village, then the family will be divided. From now on, it will be better for everyone to live in their own way.

"I want to sell these thirty kilograms of spiced peanuts today. I can't walk on two legs. It's best if I can ride a bicycle..."

After thinking this, Yao Weijun closed the courtyard door and walked towards the village.

There are two adobe houses next to the threshing floor at the west end of the village, inhabited by the last male educated youth who has not completed the procedures for returning to the city.

Normally, when the educated youth work in the fields, this place becomes the "marching base" for Yao Weijun and a few of his buddies.

"Commander Yao, you came at the right time. Now that the autumn harvest is around the corner, Song, Shunzi and Xinbo, who are under the enemy's guard, have all obtained shotguns from home. We are going into the mountains to hunt. It's up to you now!"

As soon as Yao Weijun entered the door, a thin young man said excitedly.

"Junzi, was it okay last time when you had a fight with the village next door? You haven't shown up for two days in a row. I want you to die! Haha..."

Another young man also spoke, with a dark face and laughing heartily.

"I miss you too..." Yao Weijun said with a sincere smile and took the cigarette from the black-faced man.

There were a total of four people in the room, all good buddies who played well with him.

"Brothers, the autumn harvest is about to happen, and the blind bears in the mountains are about to come out. If we encounter these two native guns, they will not be much stronger than corn stalks in the eyes of the blind bears, and they will not be able to run away. In addition, I’ve been busy recently and don’t have time to mess around with you!”

Yao Weijun took a puff of cigarette, reminded several people seriously, and then asked one of them: "Shunzi, is your father at the village headquarters today or on the ground?"

Shunzi's father is a barefoot doctor in the village. He usually stays at the village headquarters to treat people, and also works in the fields when the farm is busy.

"I'm going to earn work points."

Hearing what Shunzi said, Yao Weijun immediately issued an order, "Very good, then go and ride your bicycle over. I have requisitioned it today!"

"What do you want to use the bicycle for?" Shunzi looked curious, and then reminded with some embarrassment: "Let's agree, that bicycle is my father's lifeblood. It doesn't matter if you use it, but you have to go early and come back early. , rush back before work."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Brother, when have I ever hurt you? Damn it!" Yao Weijun urged with a smile.

Shunzi didn't hesitate, put out the cigarette butt and ran out quickly.

In just a few minutes, I was back on my bicycle.

"Thanks, buddy!" Yao Weijun took the bicycle and rode away from here.

"Jun Zi is acting a little unusual today, isn't he? I'm just wondering, why is he so impatient?"

"I heard from my third aunt that it seemed that Jun Zi's family had arranged for him to get married, and then somehow blew it off. She probably went to deal with the matter."

"Fuck, who's a girl with such a short-sighted attitude? If you dare to cancel our brother's marriage, let's go, let me support the army!"

"You don't even know which family the girl is from, where can you support her? Besides, is it appropriate for us to go there for this kind of thing? What if the military son likes the girl and doesn't want to brag about it? You go over with a brick, don't you think that's cool! "

"..."

……

(End of this chapter)